Postby weisssoccermom » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:28 am
Two important things. The first is diet:
NO: whole grains, fresh veggies (cooked in limited amounts), fresh fruit (except bananas...cooked fruits in moderation ok), popcorn, nuts, overly spicy foods.....basically anything that is more difficult to digest...avoid during radiation and for at least 1-2 weeks after you end treatments. Instead, substitute with foods such as: white bread, white rice, beef, fish, poultry, white potatoes, crackers...foods that are easier to digest.
Drink plenty of liquids....be drinking something all the time.....take a water bottle with you.
Know that when taking Xeloda or on a constant 5FU pump, you should try to avoid an over abundance of foods containing folic acid. In the USA/Canada, our grains are fortified with folic acid so that eating a LOT of things like crackers, pasta, bread....basically anything made with flour.....can cause stomach upset and/or diarrhea. Not saying you should totally avoid these foods.....just don't go on a carbo overload on any one particular day. Be cognizant of the fact that cereals are oftentimes SUPER fortified with extra folic acid. You need some during the day.....the normal amount is fine (approximately 400 - 500 MICROGRAMS...not grams daily). IF you are taking a multivitamin during this time....STOP. They are all fortified with folic acid.
In addition to an Imodium in the morning/evening, also try finding a probiotic that you like. Personally, I found one called Digestive Advantage to work well for me (found in most stores....in the tummy aisle....next to things like Pepto). When I was in treatment, I would take one in the morning and one in the evening. Radiation and the chemo help destroy the good bacteria that your GI tract needs for effective digestion. You need to try and put some of that back...and, btw, yogurt alone won't do the trick. While you are in treatment, you'll never fully be able to get the good bacteria 'count' up enough to be considered 'normal', BUT.....by taking some probiotics to help supplement what is being destroyed, hopefully you can help maintain some level of them in your system so that you won't have the constant diarrhea/gas. At least give it a try.
I've known some people who, particularly during radiation, took Immodium proactively. In other words, even before the diarrhea hits, take one in the morning, perhaps one in the afternoon and even one in the evening. Hopefully, along with a dietary change, watching the folic acid intake and taking a probiotic, you should find that your bowels are more cooperative with you and the diarrhea will diminish greatly. Another drug you might ask your doc for is something called Questran. It is an older cholesterol lowering medication that works very well on stopping diarrhea.....the kind that Immodium doesn't control. It is often used after gallbladder surgery for patients who have issues with their bowels due to not having a gallbladder.
Hopefully you will find something that works for you. Good luck.
Dx 6/22/2006 IIA rectal cancer
6 wks rad/Xeloda -finished 9/06
1st attempt transanal excision 11/06
11/17/06 XELOX 1 cycle
5 months Xeloda only Dec '06 - April '07
10+ blood clots, 1 DVT 1/07
transanal excision 4/20/07 path-NO CANCER CELLS!
NED now and forever!
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